1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to electronic communications and, in particular, to recording messaging sessions. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to enabling users to record a messaging session and notifying other users participating in the messaging session that the session is being recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the Internet and telephony expand, the ease of communications between individuals in different locations continues to expand as well. One type of electronic communication is supported by messaging which includes the use of computer systems and data communication equipment to convey messages from one person to another, as by e-mail, voice mail, unified messaging, instant messaging, or fax.
While e-mail has already expanded into nearly every facet of the business world, other types of messaging continue to forge into use. For example, instant messaging systems are typically utilized in the context of an Internet-supported application that transfers text between multiple Internet users in real time.
In particular, the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) service is one example of instant messaging that enables an Internet user to participate in an on-line conversation in real time with other users. An IRC channel, maintained by an IRC server, transmits the text typed by each user who has joined the channel to the other users who have joined the channel. An IRC client shows the names of the currently active channels, enables the user to join a channel, and then displays the other channel participant's words on individual lines so that the user can respond.
Similar to IRC, chat rooms are often available through on-line services and provide a data communication channel that links computers and permits users to converse by sending text messages to one another in real-time.
For typical telephone systems, regulations often require that a notification be provided to callers when a telephone conversation is being recorded by one of the parties. For example, a beep tone repeated at an interval throughout a conversation is often an indication that the conversation is being recorded. In another example, a voice notification such as “This conversation may be recorded” may be utilized to notify callers that a conversation is or may be recorded.
Instant messaging sessions continue to replace and/or supplement telephone conversations in business and personal contexts, however instant messaging sessions are limited in that where messaging sessions may be recorded, the user is not provided with the ability to set parameters for recording a messaging session, such as which user's entries to record.
Further, current messaging systems are limited in that where a messaging session may be saved, the systems do not provide for other users to be notified that the messaging session has been recorded in some form. In business contexts where confidential information is shared in an instant messaging system, such a limitation becomes even more prevalent.
In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide a method, system and program for recording and saving messaging sessions. In particular, it would be advantageous to provide a method, system and program for notifying users participating in a messaging session when that messaging session is recorded and allowing users to agree to the recording.